The 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq began 10 years ago this week -- on March 19, 2003 -- and although officially "over," fighting continues with discouraging persistence.
By one count, the war is directly responsible for 189,000 deaths, not including those who died from hardship caused by the fighting.
CNN has a stunning map of all casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
In all, 4,802 Americans and allies have died in the war, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count.
Among them, two soldiers from Mission Viejo. From the CNN war casualties web site:
- Lance Cpl. Daniel John Santee, 21. Died when his Humvee ran off the road and rolled over in Ramadi, Anbar province, Iraq, on April 14, 2007
- Sgt. Quoc Binh Tran, 26. Died of wounds received when a roadside bomb detonated near his military vehicle while he was conducting convoy operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 8, 2004
